Strawberry plant named `Seascape`

ABSTRACT

&#39;Seascape&#39; is a day-neutral type strawberry variety similar to &#39;Selva&#39; but with a somewhat lower chilling requirement. It is noteworthy for high flavor, high yield, large fruit size, firmness, symmetry, attractive appearance and general flexibility in planting requirements.

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a new and distinctive day-neutral type strawberry cultivar designated as `Seascape` which is the result of a cross between `Selva` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,266)×`Douglas` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,487), made in 1983.

`Seascape` first fruited at the University of California Wolfskill Experimental Orchards near Davis, Calif. in 1984, where it was selected and designated originally as Cal 83.49-1. It was tested later as advanced selection CN 49.

`Seascape` has been propagated asexually by runners and has been tested at various University of California field stations and research facilities and to a very limited extent in a few growers' fields under Test Agreement.

In the photographs:

FIG. 1 shows typical growth, flowering and fruiting characteristics of the plant.

FIG. 2 shows a typical midsummer mature leaf from a plant in full fruit.

FIG. 3 shows representative early-season fruit with longitudinal and cross-sectional views.

`Seascape` commences fruiting about three months after planting, whether fresh dug or cold storage plants are used, regardless of planting time, provided that satisfactory growing conditions prevail. `Seascape` is about as strongly day-neutral as `Selva` or `Muir` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,558), considerably less strong than `Irvine` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. pending), `Hecker` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,507) or `Fern` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,267). The difference is most evident in the nursery where only the mother and first daughter plants of `Seascape` and `Selva` and to a greater extent `Muir` tend to flower and fruit strongly, whereas most of the daughter plants of `Hecker` and `Fern` and to a somewhat lesser extent `Irvine` do so. Thus, ranking them in order of the tendency for plants to flower in the nursery, the order would be: `Hecker` `Fern`, `Irvine`, `Muir`, `Selva` and `Seascape`. All are heterozygous for the day-neutral trait.

`Seascape` is of particular interest for winter and summer plantings in situations where `Selva` is used successfully.

Plants and Foliage

Fruiting `Seascape` plants are about as erect in growth habit as those of `Selva`. Foliar characteristics from mid-summer 1988 central coast grown fruiting plants of `Seascape` are compared with those of `Irvine`, `Muir`, `Selva`, and `Fern` in Table 1.

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                         Seascape     Irvine   Muir     Selva  Fern                                     ______________________________________                                         Munsell 2.5GY43  7.5GY4/  2.5GY4/                                                                               7.5GY4/                                                                               7.5GY4/                                Color            4        3      4      4                                      Shape   1.19     1.10     1.02   1.10   1.14                                   (length/                                                                       width)                                                                         Base angle                                                                             48°                                                                              53°                                                                              60°                                                                            55°                                                                            50°                             of terminal                                                                    leaflet                                                                        Size of 76       76       84     81     76                                     terminal                                                                       leaflets                                                                       Serrations                                                                             11.4     9.4      11.2   11.2   12.0                                   of terminal                                                                    leaflets                                                                       Petiolule                                                                              13       6.6      6.6    10.4   6.4                                    length                                                                         (MM)                                                                           Petiole 206      150      137    152    154                                    length                                                                         (MM)                                                                           ______________________________________                                    

As shown above `Seascape` leaves are about the same color as those of `Muir`, darker and less yellow than those of `Irvine` or `Selva` (Munsell Color System--Nickerson Color Fan). Terminal leaflets are somewhat similar in shape to those of `Irvine` but a little longer and less round than those of `Muir` as shown by the length/width measurement and half-blade terminal leaflet basal angle. `Seascape` terminal leaflets are about the same size as those of `Irvine`, smaller than those of `Muir` or `Selva` as determined by extracting the square root of the length×width measurement. Terminal leaflet serration numbers are about the same as those for all the comparison cultivars except `Irvine` which has less. The terminal leaflet petiolules of `Seascape` are much longer than those of `Muir` or `Irvine` and somewhat longer than those of `Selva`. `Seascape` plants are larger than those of `Selva`, `Muir` or `Irvine` as indicated by petiole length. Bract leaflets are common on `Seascape` petioles, similar to `Muir` and `Selva`, in contrast to being rare on `Irvine`. Runner production in nursery plants of `Seascape` is quite good, about equal or better than for `Selva` and `Muir`.

Lysozymes in Leaf Extracts

`Seascape` has been classified for three enzyme systems by starch gel electrophoresis: A. Phosphoglucoisomerase (PGl); B. Leucine Amino Peptidase (LAP); and C. Phosphoglucomutase (PGM); and the results are compared with those for other day-neutral California cultivars in Table 2.

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                                Seascape & Fern                                                                              Irvine    Muir Selva                                      ______________________________________                                         PGI    A4            A3        A2   H2                                         LAP    B3            B1        B1   B3                                         PGM    C2            C1        C2   C2                                         ______________________________________                                                Hecker   Aptos & Brighton                                                                              Mrak  Yolo                                      ______________________________________                                         PGI    A1       A4             A1    A1                                        LAP    B1       B3             B3    B1                                        PGM    C4       C4             C2    C2                                        ______________________________________                                    

Thus, the `Seascape` with the pattern (A4, B3 and C2) is identical to that of `Fern` and short-day type `Parker` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,263) but can be distinguished from all other U.C. day-neutrals and short-day types. For the procedure, see: J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 106:687-1981.

Disease and Pest Reaction

`Seascape` is highly resistant to (tolerant of) the virus diseases common in California including "Mild Yellow Edge" and complexes containing it, moderately susceptible to common leaf spot (Ramularia), and is somewhat susceptible to the two-spotted mite.

Flowering, Fruiting, Fruit and Production Characteristics

`Seascape` is similar to California day-neutral cultivars `Selva` and `Muir` in that with a minimum of conditioning, it will flower and fruit anytime, effectively independent of day length. Flowers are borne on long, relatively thick peduncles, about as erect as those of `Selva`, less erect than those of `Muir` and much less than those of `Irvine`. The flowers have large petals averaging about six. The sepals are particularly large and attractive. `Seascape` is self-fertile providing ample pollen throughout the season and pollination is generally good as relatively few malformed fruit form.

`Seascape` is capable of yielding about as much or more than other high-yielding day-neutral and short-day type cultivars and the fruit size is as large or larger on the average than that of `Selva` (Tables 3, and 4). `Seascape` plants are vigorous and have a little less of a chilling requirement than those of `Selva` and can probably be planted earlier than `Selva` with favorable results. Size varies considerably on `Seascape` as the season advances or environmental conditions change but there is usually a high percentage of large fruit.

`Seascape` fruit shape is characteristically medium to occasionally long conic. The fruit of `Seascape` is very firm, almost equal to `Selva`, `Irvine` and `Oso Grande` as measured by the penetrometer equipped with a "Hunter Force Gauge" and it stores and ships about as well as `Selva` (Tables 3 and 4). The fruit is usually solid throughout.

`Seascape` fruit quality characteristics (ascorbic acid, soluble solids, titratable acid and color) are compared with those of `Chandler`, `Douglas`, `Irvine`, `Oso Grande`, and `Selva` in Table 5, from plants grown under optimum conditions under the "hill" system in winter plantings at the University of California Strawberry Research Facility, Watsonville.

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparing the 1988 harvest of `Seascape` over eight winter                     plantings and the 1989 harvest over four with those of appropriate             cultivars at Watsonville. Means with the same letter not                       significantly different (5%).                                                           TOT.                                                                           YLD.     SIZE    FIRM   AP     PERF*                                  ITEM     G/PL     G/FR    PENET  SCORE  SCORE                                  ______________________________________                                         1988 Harvest                                                                   Seascape 1381 a   24.6 a  7.6 a  3.8 a  38.1 a                                 Fern     1381 a   20.0 c  6.1 d  3.1 cd 31.4 cd                                Irvine   1309 a   21.6 b  7.8 a  3.2 c  33.1 bc                                Selva    1305 a   22.3 b  7.8 a  3.3 d  33.4 bc                                Muir     1090 bc  21.6 b  7.2 b  3.1 cd 29.9 de                                Mrak     1081 bc  17.6 d  6.5 c  3.0 d  29.9 e                                 Yolo      938 c   19.3 e  7.1 b  3.0 d  27.2 e                                 1989 Harvest                                                                   Seascape 1951 a   26.3 a  6.1 bc 3.9 a  40.4 b                                 Oso Grande                                                                              1788 ab  26.9 a  6.6 a  3.1 c  38.4 bc                                Irvine   1710 ab  21.8 ab 6.5 abc                                                                               2.9 de 35.4 cd                                Selva    1528 b   22.6 b  6.6 ab 3.1 cd 34.3 d                                 Muir     1523 b   22.1 b  6.0 c  2.9 e  33.2 d                                 Chandler 1491 b   25.6 a  5.3 d  3.4 b  34.2 d                                 ______________________________________                                          Performance Score =-                                                           ##STR1##                                                                 

                  TABLE 4                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparing the 1987 harvest of `Seascape` with that of 3 standard               short-day type cultivars and 3 day-neutral cultivars in a summer               planting made at Watsonville 3 Sept. 86.                                       ______________________________________                                                 GPL BY 6 WKS ENDING                                                                              TOT YLD                                              CULTIVAR  5/6     6/17    7/29  9/16  G/PL                                     ______________________________________                                         Chandler  436     917     576   297   2227                                     Oso Grande                                                                               500     638     241   177   1559                                     Pajaro    423     621     300   202   1548                                     Seascape  655     625     590   291   2133                                     Muir      359     596     332   232   1521                                     Selva     417     522     266   219   1425                                     Yolo      451     311     166   105   1034                                     ______________________________________                                                  TOT.                                                                           YLD     SIZE     FIRM.  AP.    PERF.*                                 CULTIVAR S.D.    G/FR     PENET  SCORE  SCORE                                  ______________________________________                                         Chandler 255     16.5     4.7    3.1    37                                     Oso Grande                                                                              49      20.5     6.3    2.9    32                                     Pajaro   85      19.8     5.2    3.1    32                                     Seascape  7      19.1     5.1    3.5    38                                     Muir     36      22.3     5.4    3.1    33                                     Selva    287     22.1     6.0    3.1    32                                     Yolo     17      19.2     4.9    3.5    26                                     ______________________________________                                          *Performance Score =-                                                          ##STR2##                                                                 

                  TABLE 5                                                          ______________________________________                                         Fruit quality measurement and color, Watsonville 8 May 1989.                   Means with same letter not significantly different (5%)                                 ASCORBIC   SOL       TIT.                                                      ACID       SOLIDS    ACID                                             CULTIVAR mg/100 g   %         %      COLOR                                     ______________________________________                                         Chandler 51 a       7.3 a     0.69 b 5R4/12                                    Seascape 46 b       7.0 ab    0.74 b 2.5R4/10                                  Douglas  43 bc      6.8 b     0.72 b 6R4/12                                    Irvine   41 cd      6.9 ab    0.66 bc                                                                               7R5/14                                    Oso Grande                                                                              40 cd      5.7 c     0.52 d 7.5R4.5/11                                Selva    33 e       7.1 ab    0.59 cd                                                                               7R4/11                                    ______________________________________                                    

`Seascape` fruit averaged almost as high in ascorbic acid content as `Chandler`, as high as `Douglas` and higher than `Irvine`, `Oso Grande` and `Selva` as measured by the Loeffler and Ponting method (1942, J. Indust. and Engin. Chem. 14:846). The fruit of `Seascape` is relatively high in soluble solids and titratable acid (ibid). The fruit skin color is redder than that of all of the comparison cultivars inside and out. The finish is bright and attractive. The flesh color is about the same as that of the skin. The achenes are bright yellow to slightly reddish, positioned about flush to slightly exerted relative to the skin surface (ibid).

The flavor of `Seascape` fruit is exceptional, better than that of `Selva` or `Irvine`. The fruit is recommended for fresh market and processing, for commercial planting and home gardening, particularly where `off season` fruiting is desirable. The only cultivars that `Seascape` resembles closely in performance are `Selva` and `Muir` and consequently it is of interest wherever they are currently grown. 

We claim:
 1. The new and distinct variety of strawberry plant herein described and illustrated and identified by the characteristics enumerated above. 